Best Foods to Pair with CBD Oil

CBD is a wonderful cannabinoid, one with many potential benefits, all without being intoxicating or putting you down for the count. One of the best ways to take CBD is in the form of oil. CBD oils and tinctures are very easy to take, they’re accurately dosed, and if you get them from the right source, they should be very high in quality. However, a big issue that many people have with CBD oil is that it just doesn’t taste that good on its own.

This is why many people choose to hide the flavor of CBD oil within their food. Yes, it is possible to use CBD as cooking oil or even to use CBD oil recipes to make whole meals that everyone can enjoy. If you find the right recipes and sources of inspiration, you can add CBD oil into so many different kinds of foods, including smoothies, guacamole, salads, meats, fish, pasta, baked goods, candy, and much more.

Today, we’re going to start by talking about all of the different benefits of cooking with CBD oil. After that, we’ll take a look at all of the different types of foods that you compare with CBD oil, along with some fan-favorite recipes. By the end of today’s article, you should have a good idea of all of the different foods you can prepare using CBD oil, and what kind of effect they should have.

Key Takeaways

As long as you don’t heat it to extreme temperatures, CBD oil can be used for all sorts of cooking purposes.
Cooking with CBD oil has many different potential health benefits, which we’ll discuss below.
You can make pasta, meat, breakfast foods, baked goods, and so much more, all with just a little bit of CBD oil.

Benefits of Cooking with CBD Oil

Before we get to the actual fun part, the eating, let’s take a quick look at some of the main potential benefits that you get by cooking with CBD oil.

Inflammation Relief

One of the main potential benefits of CBD is that it appears to be a strong anti-inflammatory agent. It should therefore be able to help reduce a multitude of pro-inflammatory markers in the human body, therefore relieving inflammation in general. This may be beneficial for people suffering from a variety of conditions or injuries.

Here is a study that indicates that CBD may be beneficial for both acute and chronic inflammation. This is a study that indicates that CBD could be beneficial for relieving inflammation associated with skin conditions such as acne, and here is another one demonstrating that CBD may be effective at reducing pain and inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

Pain Relief

The next potential benefit of cooking with CBD oil is that it may act as a powerful pain reliever, or in other words, an analgesic agent. Analgesic agents function by blocking the pain receptors in your brain from receiving the pain signals sent out by your nerves.

Although in this sense, CBD may not treat the underlying cause of the pain, it can block you from feeling it. Here is one study which indicates that CBD may act as an analgesic agent. These pain-relieving benefits may apply to both chronic and acute injuries, as well as general and localized pains.

A Stress Reliever

Cooking with CBD oil may also be a good option if you are constantly stressed out. This is because there are various studies that show that CBD may reduce the levels of cortisol flowing through your system. When you are stressed out, your body produces cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone.

Cortisol makes your body stay in an alert state, which is a survival mechanism. However, being alert and wary also means that you still feel stressed out. As long as your body keeps feeling stressed out, it will keep producing more cortisol, which in turn serves to keep you in a stressed-out and alert state.

It’s actually quite a vicious cycle. As mentioned above, studies indicate that CBD may be able to reduce the amount of cortisol that your body produces, therefore effectively reducing the amount of stress that you feel.

Possible Anxiety and Depression Relief

CBD may also act as a treatment for depression and anxiety. This mainly has to do with two important brain chemicals, serotonin and dopamine.

Serotonin and dopamine are generally thought to be powerful mood regulators, with serotonin being responsible for producing sensations of happiness, optimism, and satisfaction. It may also lead to a calmer state of mind. Dopamine is another important player, as it is a part of the brain’s reward system.

Increased dopamine levels are associated with feelings of happiness, elation, and euphoria. Together, dopamine and serotonin can go a long way in reducing symptoms associated with depression and anxiety.

Here we have a study that indicates that CBD may help regulate serotonin levels, therefore exhibiting possible anti-depressant effects. Here’s another study that indicates that CBD also plays a role in dopamine production in the brain, therefore also having possible antidepressant and antianxiety benefits on this front.

To bring it all together, here is a third study that indicates that CBD improves overall mental health, as demonstrated by the majority of subjects who participated.

Acting as a Sleep Aid

Although CBD may not be a sedative like THC, it is believed that its various mood-regulating and stress-relieving benefits may also help you get a better night’s sleep.

If you feel less stressed out, anxious, and depressed, chances are also that you’ll be in a much better state of mind that will allow you to fall asleep much easier.

And Much More!

CBD also has many other potential benefits that are worth mentioning.

CBD may have benefits as a potential anticonvulsant agent.
CBD oil also has the potential to act as an antiemetic agent, which means that it may be able to help reduce symptoms associated with nausea and vomiting.
There is also evidence to suggest that CBD works as a powerful antioxidant.
There are also pieces of evidence that indicate that CBD has the potential to protect against neurological diseases and degradation. It may be able to help keep your brain healthier for longer.

Why Cook with CBD Oil?

Besides the health benefits of CBD oil, you might be wondering why you would actually cook with it instead of just drinking it. Well, some people just don’t like the flavor of CBD oil, and adding it to food is a great way to disguise that flavor.

Seeing as it is an oil, some people may also not like the texture in their mouths. Adding CBD oil to food or beverages is also a good way to hide the oily texture.

Furthermore, adding CBD oil to your favorite food is also really easy to do. You can always meal prep a few days ahead and add CBD oil right in the beginning.

This way, you won’t ever forget to take your daily dose of CBD oil, because it’s already in your food. There are even many cooking methods with CBD oil that don’t require you to heat it at all.

The Best Foods to Pair with CBD Oil

Now that you know why cooking with CBD oil might be a good idea, let’s take a look at some of the different foods that you keep here with CBD oil. We even have a few recipes for you to get started with.

Smoothies

One of the best and easiest things you can do with CBD oil is to make a smoothie. A smoothie is the perfect base to hide the CBD oil inside, and there are so many options available.

You can make smoothies using any kind of yogurt you want, fruit juices, various frozen or fresh fruits, a bit of sugar and honey, and so much more.

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of flavor combinations you can go with here, which makes smoothies such a great choice. You could have a different CBD oil smoothie every single day for a full year and still not exhaust all of the possibilities.

A Simple CBD Strawberry Banana Smoothie

To make a simple CBD strawberry banana smoothie, mix 1 cup of frozen banana, 1 cup of frozen strawberry, 1 cup of plain yogurt (you can substitute with almond milk), and a bit of honey for sweetness, along with the CBD oil. Just throw everything in the blender and blend until smooth. This is just a basic strawberry banana smoothie recipe, but you can alter it any way you see fit.

Guacamole

If you can’t stop dipping, and you like avocados, then making your own homemade CBD oil guacamole is a great option to consider. It’s something that will last for a few days and makes for a great dip for chips, you can put it on burgers, and so much more. It also makes for a good game day group snack for you and your friends. It’s even relatively healthy thanks to all of the benefits that avocados come with.

Some CBD Guacamole to Dip With

To make your own CBD guacamole, mix 2 mashed avocados, 1 diced tomato, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, some salt and pepper, and your CBD oil.

Make sure to cut up everything fairly small, because you don’t want any big chunks here. Simply chop everything, mix it together, and you’re ready to dip. Here’s another tasty CBD guacamole recipe you can check out.

Salads

If you want to keep things super healthy, you can always make some CBD oil salad. If you want to take things to the next level, check out this recipe on how to make your own CBD olive oil.

Here’s another fantastic recipe on how to make your own CBD salad dressing. Although we’ve provided you with a couple of specific oil and salad dressing recipes here, the world is full of possibilities.

Generally speaking, any type of salad dressing that is made with oil or a fatty substance is a perfect match for some CBD oil. Whether we are talking about Caesar salad dressing, Thousand Island dressing, raspberry vinaigrette, or anything in between, all you need to do is add a few drops of your favorite CBD oil into them.

Meats

Although adding CBD oil to your favorite meats is a little bit more difficult than some of the other options on the list today, it is still a possibility. Many people may choose to fry, roast, or bake various types of meat using some CBD oil as a glaze.

You can always make a nice pot roast in the oven using some CBD oil. You might also pan-sear various meats using a bit of CBD oil.

One neat idea is to make some CBD herb butter, which you can then put on a steak. Some tasty herb butter adds some really fresh accents to any medium-rare piece of beef freshly flame-grilled. Another neat idea is to make your own pork sausages with a bit of CBD on the inside!

A CBD Herb Butter for Steaks

To make some CBD herb butter, take 1 cup of butter and mix in 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 tablespoon of dried parsley, 1 tablespoon of dried basil, and ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary, along with the CBD oil. Mix everything together, place it in the fridge, and allow it to solidify. You may freeze the CBD herb butter for use at a later date.

Fish Dishes

Fish might not be everyone’s dish of choice, but there are some really tasty ways to prepare these creatures of the sea. If you happen to be an avid angler and you like catching your own fish, then using some CBD oil to cook up your fresh catch is a fantastic idea.

One of the easiest ways to incorporate CBD oil into a fish recipe is by roasting or baking a fish using a CBD-inspired glaze. One of our personal favorite dishes to make is honey maple glazed CBD salmon. However, you can of course use any kind of fish, glaze, or ingredients that you see fit, as long as you have some CBD present.

Pan Seared Honey Maple CBD Salmon

For this recipe, mix 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, along with some salt, pepper, and your CBD oil of choice.

Start by pan-searing the salmon skin-side down until it is cooked most of the way through, then add your glaze into the pan. Allow the glaze to reduce and thicken, while constantly basting the salmon with it. By the time the glaze has thickened, the salmon should be perfectly cooked.

Pasta

Here’s where your CBD oil can really shine because there are hundreds of different pasta recipes out there.

There are vegan and vegetarian pasta, ones filled with meat, seafood pasta, ones with white sauce, red sauce, pink sauce, and everything in between.

The reality is that to make some CBD oil pasta, you really just have to make your favorite pasta sauce, and then just add a few drops of oil into it. It’s not like you need to completely change the recipe.

Simple CBD Marinara Sauce

In a saucepan, combine 1 can of whole tomatoes, a halved yellow onion, 2 whole garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. Bring this to a simmer and then allow it to gently cook on medium-low heat for up to an hour, stirring occasionally.

Remove the onion and garlic chunks if desired, or smash them into small pieces and incorporate them into the sauce (if you’d like a stronger garlic and onion flavor). If you want the sauce smooth, use a blender, then add your salt, pepper, and CBD oil.

Baked Goods

One of the most popular things to do with CBD oil is making baked goods. Once again, the beauty here is that you don’t need to change much about the recipes of your baked goods.

Just substitute some of the butter or oil for a little bit of CBD oil. You can make brownies, cookies, lemon squares, peanut butter bars, and anything in between. As long as you can put a bit of CBD oil in it, it is a contender.

Here is our recipe for some super tasty CBD brownies. We also have our recipe for some delicious CBD cookies.

Candy

Although it is a bit of a messy process, you can always make your own hard candies and gummy candies using CBD oils and tinctures. Just remember that you’ll need some soy lecithin or some other kind of binder to ensure that the CBD oil mixes in with the rest of the ingredients.

Ice Cream

If you are a fan of desserts, especially the cold variety, making your own CBD ice cream is another fantastic option to consider.

The cool thing here is that you don’t have to change any of your regular ice cream recipes either, because you can just add in the desired amount of CBD oil along with the other ingredients.

If you have some relatively strong CBD oil, we recommend going for something relatively chocolatey, because this will help hide the flavor a little better. Some strong vanilla could do the trick too.

Homemade CBD Ice Cream

Pour 1 cup of heavy cream into a saucepan, add ¾ cup of sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Scrape in the seeds of 1 vanilla bean (or use extract) and warm the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and mix in the remaining ¾ cups of cream, 1-1/4 cups of milk, and CBD Oil. Stir it together and allow it to chill in the fridge.

Breakfast Foods

If you want to start the day off right, cooking some CBD breakfast is another great idea. For instance, you can make a CBD breakfast burrito. Just cook up some scrambled eggs, a couple of pieces of ham or bacon, and a few pan-fried potatoes. Wrap everything up in a toasted tortilla, and drizzle a bit of CBD oil over top. This is just one idea. Some people may also just make some CBD butter and spread it on their toast.

Soups & Stews

If you are looking for a hot meal that will keep your belly warm on a cold night, sometimes there’s just nothing better than soup or stew. Just like any other option we’ve looked at today, you can add CBD oil to any soup or stew that you make. Our personal favorite is CBD oil chicken noodle soup.

CBD Oil Chicken Noodle Soup

Take 4 chicken legs and boil them in a gallon of water for at least an hour, until the meat falls off the bone. Remove all bones from the pot and separate the meat. Set the meat aside. Add as much powdered chicken broth into the pot as is necessary to create a tasty chicken broth, then add potatoes, carrots, and any other vegetable you see fit. Let these simmer for about 10 minutes, and then add your egg noodles. Once the egg noodles are done, add the chicken back in, season to taste, and add your CBD oil.

Cocktails

You could always make some really tasty CBD cocktails as well. You can make either virgin cocktails or alcohol-based cocktails, depending on what your needs and preferences are. If this sounds like something you’d like to try, take a look at our own CBD cocktail recipe right here!

Tips for Cooking with CBD Oil

Let’s go over some quick tips for cooking with CBD oil, just so you don’t waste any CBD oil or food.

As we covered in greater detail below, one of the biggest tips is to start slow. Although CBD should not be psychoactive, some people may still experience some minor side effects. So it’s a good idea to start with a low dosage until you see how it affects you.
If possible, try not to heat the CBD oil to extreme temperatures, as extreme temperatures may cause the cannabinoids contained in the product to degrade. You don’t want the CBD oil and its potential benefits to be rendered useless or nonexistent because you cooked it at a temperature that was too hot for it to handle. Generally speaking, the less you cook or process this stuff, the better.
On that note, if you are actually cooking with CBD oil, the closer to the end of the cooking process that you can add it, the better.
In terms of choosing the right CBD oil, always make sure that you go with a reputable retailer and manufacturer. You want to go with somebody who follows all legal aspects concerning CBD, as well as someone who just uses high-quality ingredients and manufacturing processes.
When cooking with CBD oil, it is always a good idea to go with a very refined product. Although some people may like the flavor of raw hemp, many do not. Going with a product that has been processed, specifically with the aim of removing most of the flavor, is recommended. This will ensure that anything you cook with CBD oil is not ruined due to a strong hemp taste.

How Much CBD Oil Should You Be Adding?

Many people say that on average, you should use about 1 milligram of CBD for every 10 pounds of body weight. This means that if you weigh 200 pounds, you would use 20 milligrams of CBD. However, this is quite subjective, as it affects everybody a bit differently. If you are a very large person, you probably need a bit more than somebody after size.

Furthermore, it really depends on what you are looking to accomplish. If the symptoms you are attempting to treat with the CBD oil are very severe, you may need a bit more. A good idea here is to start off relatively slow, with no more than 15 or 20 milligrams at most, and see how it treats you. Then, if desired, you can always take more.

Best CBD Oils for Cooking

When it comes down to it, there is one CBD oil that we recommend cooking with above all others, which is our very own Botany Farms CBD + THC Live Resin Tincture. It’s a 30ml bottle that contains 1500 mg of CBD, or 50 mg per serving, along with 2 mg of THC per serving.

We take pride in selling only the highest quality products, which is why this tincture is made with live resin, so it still contains most of the original terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids.

It is also 100% vegan, non-GMO, and doesn’t contain any artificial sweeteners or colors either. Yes, it has also been third-party tested to ensure that it falls in line with THC laws.

Final Thoughts

The bottom line here is that the world is your oyster as far as cooking with CBD oil goes. There are plenty of CBD oil recipes and CBD cooking recipes out there that you can use to make some delicious foods, snacks, and whole meals.

CBD Oil for Cooking: Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s just quickly answer some of your most frequently asked questions about CBD oil for cooking.

Can you put CBD oil in cooking?

Yes, you can cook with CBD oil, make beverages, baked goods, and so much more.

Does heat destroy CBD oil?

The benefits of CBD may diminish or disappear if heated up too much. Therefore, the less you heat it, the better, which is especially the case when it comes to extreme temperatures, such as searing in a pan.

At what temperature does CBD burn off?

CBD begins to burn off at roughly 160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit.

At what temperature does CBD break down?

CBD oil cannot handle temperatures over 320 degrees before it starts to break down.